I hope everyone is ready for Hurricane Dorian. I wanted to send out an update for our customers in case things turn for the worse. I just finished a briefing with the National Hurricane Center, and there just isn’t enough information yet to know what the storm is going to do.
Operations here are currently running full bore to finish up any previously started projects or jobsites. We’re rushing a few storm panel projects that we have materials for ahead of the schedule.
If we have to cease operations so our employees can evacuate, our business has a Memorandum of Agreement with the SC Emergency Management Division to re-enter ahead of other non-essential folks in order to help with clean-up to make sure things are safe.
If I have service during that time, I’ll issue updates on our Facebook page of any neighborhoods we go into. Be sure to like our Facebook page so these show up quickly for you.
If you’re new to our lovely storm season here, read the next few bits, as they might help.
If you have vinyl Eze-Breeze style windows, here’s a video on what to do with them. Click HERE.
If you have our Lexan Storm Panels and haven’t installed them in a while, here’s instructions. Click HERE.
The Atlantic Ocean hurricane season runs from June through November every year. In recent years, our area has seen several significant landfalls. Hurricanes are interesting in how they affect us. You might have escaped unscathed, might have had trees or limbs in the yard, or could have even lost your roof. However, your neighbor might have experienced just the opposite.
My own experience with the last three decades of hurricanes to hit our area is that the nearby yards flooded, and I lost a few shingles each time. No windows were broken by flying debris, but we installed clear Lexan hurricane panels over all the openings.
Here’s a few things I would recommend to prepare for hurricane season to help get you and your family ready.
1. Put together a disaster box. Here’s a link to a great inventory list for a disaster box- https://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit. Once you get it packed, just throw it in the closet or a corner in the garage and hope you never need it.
You can go further and pack Get Home Bags or Bug Out Bags, but the disaster box is a bare minimum. If you want more info on those, just e-mail me back and ask. I used to do contract work for FEMA, and one of our jobs was helping people assemble these.
2. Protect your home. You need to install some type of protection for all the openings in your home, to include all doors and windows. Our company installs several different types, so get in touch if you don’t have this. The most important things to consider for this are that you have the work done before a named storm and know how to use it.
I mention ‘named storms’ because most insurance companies will not help you out if you wait until after there’s a named storm in the Atlantic. Also keep in mind that most insurance companies provide discounts for various types of opening protection, like our Lexan panels.
3. Have a plan. Decide beforehand under what circumstances you will evacuate. Don’t wait on the storm and then decide. In addition, decide where you’ll evacuate and what you will take with you. For any storms that you will shelter in place and not evacuate, plan for that as well, to include water, food, and lighting. Go ahead and make hotel reservations somewhere before you leave.
There’s so much more that could go into this, but I didn’t want to write a book length e-mail. If you want more information, feel free to get in touch or come by the showroom.
Your storm guide,
David Powers
You can find us at…
Ocean Breeze Exterior Remodeling – 843-238-4798 – www.oceanbreezeexteriors.com
Our showroom is located at 739 Sandy Lane in Surfside Beach, SC
